Yet another SDPD cop under arrest

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A San Diego police officer was jailed Wednesday on suspicion of rape, assault, kidnapping and other felony charges, one day after the city's top cop publicly apologized for a recent rash of misconduct cases involving members of his department and pledged to put a stop to such behavior.

Daniel Edward Dana, a four-year member of the San Diego Police Department, was booked into county jail Wednesday afternoon. He has resigned from his position.

The charges involve alleged on-duty acts committed early Wednesday morning against a 34-year-old prostitute that Dana, 26, had recently befriended, SDPD officials reported.

The woman reported that she agreed to meet with Dana about 3 a.m. on his suggestion, sent via text message, officials said. They went to Presidio Park, where the officer allegedly forced her to have sex with him by threatening to arrest her if she refused.  

Afterward, the woman reported what allegedly had happened, and the officer was questioned, arrested and fired from his job.

Dana was booked on suspicion of multiple rape counts, kidnapping for purposes of rape, assault by a peace officer and oral copulation under threat of authority. He was being held without bail pending arraignment on Friday.

On Tuesday, Chief William Lansdowne and his top command staff held a news conference to address what he called an "unprecedented number" of accusations of impropriety or criminal behavior on the part of SDPD personnel over the last three months - 10 cases total, six of which have resulted in arrests of officers.

"I want to personally apologize to every citizen of the city of San Diego, as this behavior is not expected, nor condoned by me or anyone in the San Diego Police Department," Lansdowne said.

Promising to do everything possible to regain citizens' confidence and "repair the damage done," he outlined a seven-step program with a goal of "greatly reducing future incidents" of wrongdoing.

The strategies include increased internal-affairs staffing, more ethics training, an around-the-clock complaint "hot line," a review of the department's discipline manual and use-of-force tactics, psychological "wellness" assessments during officers' annual evaluations and a series of meetings with all employees.

The announcement of the plan came three days after SDPD Officer William Johnson, a 12-year department veteran, was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated in the South Bay.

Johnson was off-duty when he was taken into custody by Chula Vista police about midnight Saturday, following a collision that left another motorist with minor injuries. He is working a desk assignment pending the outcome of the case.

Last week, officials announced that an internal investigation was under way into whether an SDPD officer used excessive force while arresting an allegedly drunk and combative man outside a North Park nightspot.

The patrolman, whose name has been withheld, was one of three San Diego police officers who struggled to subdue 38-year-old Shawn Allen McPherren in front of the Alibi bar late on the night of May 1, Executive Assistant Chief David Ramirez said.

A witness captured the arrest with his cellphone camera and later contacted television news stations, which aired the images.

The footage showed the uniformed personnel crouching around McPherren, who was prone on a sidewalk, grappling with him while one of the officers punched him in the midsection or arms a half-dozen times.

The following day, an SDPD motorcycle patrolman pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence and hit-and-run allegations in connection with an off-duty Feb. 22 traffic accident on Murray Ridge Road in Serra Mesa. Officer David Hall, 41, faces up to three years and eight months in prison if convicted of the charges.

In late April, a judge ordered San Diego police Sgt. Kenneth H. Davis, 47, to stand trial on one count of stalking a fellow officer he had dated and three counts of making harassing telephone calls to her. Davis, a 23-year department veteran, could serve up to three years in prison if found guilty of the allegations, which came to light in February.

On April 11, an SDPD patrolman was involved in an off-duty dispute during which he allegedly assaulted a 17-year-old neighbor boy he caught smoking marijuana. The officer, a Mira Mesa resident whose name has not been released by police, has been transferred to desk duty pending the outcome of an internal investigation and a concurrent review by the District Attorney's Office.

In March, 42-year-old Art Perea, a vice officer with the department, resigned amid accusations of raping a Point Loma Nazarene University student at an El Cajon home. He has not been charged in the case, which remains under investigation.

On March 11, San Diego police Officer Anthony Arevalos, 40, was arrested after a woman accused him of sexually assaulting her following a traffic stop in the Gaslamp Quarter.

Four other women subsequently came forward and made similar allegations against Arevalos, who has pleaded not guilty to 18 felony counts, including sexual battery, false imprisonment, assault under color of authority and receiving a bribe.

On March 24, San Diego police Officer Roel Tungcab was arrested by sheriff's deputies in the aftermath of a fight with his wife at their Imperial Beach home. Tungcab, 39, faces misdemeanor domestic violence charges.

On March 29, an SDPD officer was videotaped wrestling with an allegedly inebriated and disruptive soccer fan at Qualcomm Stadium.

The 49-second recording, posted on YouTube the following day, shows the officer on the floor of a stadium concourse, struggling to subdue 27-year-old David Rangel of San Diego.

The officer, whose name has not been released, at times used an arm to put Rangel in a chokehold from behind and finally shoved his head onto the concrete, causing a loud smacking sound when the side of the suspect's face and the palm of his hand hit the floor.

Police officials opened an internal probe into the arrest, which occurred during a Mexico-Venezuela soccer game.

Less recently, a San Diego police officer and his wife were criminally charged for allegedly looting and trashing their foreclosed home in Riverside County out of spite.

Robert Conrad Acosta, 39, and his wife Evette Acosta, 35, were accused last autumn of burglarizing and vandalizing their former residence, a six-bedroom tract home east of Murrieta.

The damage included stones smashed off the facade, dye poured on the carpet, a missing air conditioner and other appliances, destroyed and stolen fixtures, wiring torn out of the walls, uprooted trees thrown in the swimming pool, a missing garage door, a torn-up flagstone patio, walkway and hallway, and spray paint on the walls, according to prosecutors.

Robert Acosta was put on paid administrative leave pending the resolution of the case. He resigned from the department late last year.